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What factors influence uptake into family-based obesity treatment after weight screening?
Rachael W Taylor1, Sheila M Williams, Anna M Dawson
1Department of Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Insights
Parental perceptions of child weight, not parenting styles, influenced enrollment in a family weight management program. Many parents joined despite not believing their child was overweight.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric obesity
- Behavioral science
- Public health
Background:
- Childhood overweight and obesity are significant public health concerns.
- Family-based interventions are crucial for managing pediatric weight.
- Understanding factors influencing participation is key to intervention success.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify drivers of participation in a family-based weight management program for children aged 4-8.
- To explore parental beliefs and reactions influencing intervention uptake.
Main Methods:
- 1093 children underwent overweight/obesity screening.
- Parents completed questionnaires on demographics, motivation, feeding practices, and beliefs.
- Follow-up interviews assessed reactions to feedback and willingness to enroll in a 2-year intervention.
Main Results:
- 24.8% of children were overweight/obese; 72.7% agreed to the intervention.
- Socioeconomic status differed between participants and non-participants.
- Non-participants were less likely to perceive or be concerned about their child's weight, despite high BMI.
Conclusions:
- Parental preconceptions about child weight and reactions to feedback significantly impacted intervention enrollment.
- Parenting practices and motivation for health were less influential.
- A notable proportion of parents enrolled without acknowledging their child's overweight status.
Objectives:
To determine what factors drive participation in a family-based weight management program for 4- to 8-year-old children following screening for overweight or obesity.
Study Design:
Children (n = 1093) attended a comprehensive screening appointment where parents completed questionnaires on demographics, motivation for healthy lifestyles, feeding practices, and beliefs about child size, prior to feedback about the child's weight. Parents of overweight or obese children (body mass index ≥85th percentile) attended a follow-up interview to assess reactions to feedback and willingness to participate in a 2-year intervention.
Results:
A total of 271 (24.8%) children were overweight or obese with 197 (72.7%) agreeing to the intervention. Socioeconomic status differed in intervention participants (n = 197) compared with non-participants (n = 74), whereas no differences were observed in parental feeding practices, ineffective parenting practices, or self-determined forms of motivation. However, fewer non-participating parents believed their child to be overweight (23% vs 49%, P < .001) or were concerned about it (16% vs 43%, P < .001), despite children having an average body mass index approximating the 95th percentile. Non-participating parents did not expect their child to be overweight (P = .002) and rated receiving this information as less useful (P = .008) than participating parents.
Conclusion:
Preconceptions about child weight and reactions to feedback determined intervention uptake more than parenting or motivation for health. Many parents agreed to participate in the intervention despite not viewing their child as overweight.
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